Easing The Pain
by boundlesssummer
Summary: It might not destroy it, but at least it'll ease the pain. Rachel/Tina fic.


That's what she was to them.

A shadow cascading in the background, layered in a goth material, black laced dress, lustrous, straightened black hair with purple highlights, covered in jewelry signifying darkness, because naturally, she was always destined to be in the shadows. The silver lock was the thing that treasured all her darkest, obscure secrets, held a strong past with a potent fragrance of depression, and frankly, it gave her the power to bury all her secrets and walk on, in order to survive and not taste another piece of harsh, bitter reality.

So she started out shy, insecure, only to bathe into the glory of ''not being noticed''(her preferred term which was primarily similar to ''a loser''), and for freshman year, it worked. Students would think she was just another hip girl taking a step out of society and would leave her alone, and the teachers would think that she was being ''expressive'' through fashion and specific designer just to fit in, and would think it endearing. However, it backfired; her lipstick would get flushed down the toilet, most gossip and delicious, racy rumours would revolve around her and her fashion was austerely criticized for being too ''vampirish''.

It wasn't a surprise to the dark Asian; she's been labeled her entire life ever since her mother had become that strict, curfew-based stereotype she's seen in all those crappy teen movies featuring rebellion from strict parents, and she's criticized every move she's ever made, such as thinking about ''goth phase'', referring to her choice of style, and now about her choice of career, especially either becoming one of those fashionistas or sex symbols, and breaking the aching barrier of stereotypes and becoming someone whose not one of them, like Lucy Liu, her influential hero.

''Christina Cohen Chang,'' she'd say,''you need to stop daydreaming and get yourself into the real world! Becoming one of those sex symbols only gets you bizarre perverted, lecherous men who want to only look lustfully at you, and it'll get you into drugs and all those ghastly things that no proper young lady should do! Find a better, more suitable career and get your head out of the clouds!'' She had to taste reality in all its misery and blandness; it wasn't fair.

So that's why she joined Glee.

It was a drug for her to escape to reality, and every moment of it was glamour, glee and undeniable, unconditional fun, and it enlightened her. She had let go of depression, and met a friend, named Mercedes Jones, a girl of sass, class and elegance, taken under her wing, and it was beautiful. Until she realised the darkness had curdled back into her life the moment Rachel Berry came strutting inside the choir room, with laced white socks, sheeny mahogany hair bouncing perfectly and radiating in the clear sunshine, and a voice that melted hearts and crushed souls who once had hopes and dreams that they would ever become someone as famous as a Broadway actor or actress or performer. The little Jewish girl took every last beam of hope and morphed it into her own cloud of perfection, making Tina's ideal career dreams and hopes just a phase, a stupid memory of what it's like in life to have someone so much better than you, and it hurts so much.

Until a few months later, Tina began to emphasize the pain the diva had every day; the constant slushie facials, the sex riots, the pornographic pictures drawn sickeningly in the girls loos, even the warning talks addressed from Quinn about ''stealing her man'' made her feel more in touch with pain than ever before. It was assignment day, and the Asian was chatting with Mercedes, her bestie, and Kurt, her best gay, about perfume and the most gorgeous clothes from Marc Jacobs and American Apparel, when Mr Schue had came lately from his earlier class and wrote down ''Emotions''on the board with his white board marker, and the Asian sighed. _Another lesson involving Rachel just singing her heart out, manipulating us into liking it, and us minorities crumble into the background. Yay._

''I want you to think of a song, and perform together. So, I'll choose the pairs. Jesse, you're with Finn, Quinn, you're with Santana, Brittany, you're with Artie, Puck, you're with Mike, Mercedes, you're with Kurt and Matt, and Tina, you'll be with Rachel.''

There was a look of disapprobation shadowing in Rachel's eyes as Tina shuffled to her, and it was darkening further as Tina suggested ''gothy pain'' and ''heavy metal''. ''I'm sorry, Tina, but I'm only into the Broadway sections, not into what _boys_ and _freaks like_.''

Tina was engulfed with rage at her insult. ''Excuse me, but have you been shopping lately? They're selling lives at the mall. You should get one.''

''You shouldn't talk to a high maintenance girl like that. I have self-esteem issues.''

The dark Asian rolled her eyes. ''As if, Berry. You're the talented one around here, I bet you have loads of golden trophies at home, and have the _best life ever in high school_.''

Rachel scoffed at her. ''No, I don't, for your information, Tina. Although I do have golden trophies, I'm just an ordinary teenager, and I don't stand out. I may be extremely talented, but that's nothing compared to how popularity works; besides, I get a slushie facial every day, and going to the toilet is a daily thing I get used to.''

''If you think that's bad, Berry, you should step inside my life; my mother is so strict, and she really disapproves me going into glee club, but I love it. It's fun, and it makes me feel as if I'm truly at home.''

The brunette smiled. ''I guess we both have pain.''

''Giving us the perfect duet to sing.''

Tina stood up, walked towards the microphone, Rachel behind her, and she mumbled the song into the pianist's ear, and the poignant, melodious keys of the piano start to play as they sing.

 _Tina:_

 _Oh, you can't hear me cry_

 _See my dreams all die_

 _From where you're standing_

 _On your own._

 _It's so quiet here_

 _And I feel so cold_

 _This house no longer_

 _Feels like home._

(Tina: _uhhhhh..._ )

 _Rachel_ :

 _Oh, when you told me you'd leave_

 _I felt like I couldn't breathe_

 _My aching body fell to the floor_

 _Then I called you at home_

 _You said that you weren't alone_

 _I should've known better_

 _Now it hurts much more._

(Rachel: _uhhhhh..._ )

 _Tina and Rachel:_

 _You caused my heart to bleed and_

 _You still owe me a reason_

 _'Cause I can't figure out why..._

 _Why I'm alone and freezing_

 _While you're in the bed that she's in_

 _And I'm just left alone to cry_

(Tina and Rachel: _ohoaoaohoaohoaohaoaohoaohoaoh, yeah yeah yeah..._ )

 _Tina and Rachel:_

 _Oh, you can't hear me cry_

 _See my dreams all die_

 _From where you're standing_

 _On your own._

 _It's so quiet here_

 _And I feel so cold_

 _This house no longer_

 _Feels like home._

Tina and Rachel both glanced at each other in a moment of clarity, and grinned. _It might not defeat the pain, but at least it eased it_.


End file.
